Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Pablo and Braque: Art after World War I Essay
World War I left a tremendously lasting impact all over the world. The economic, social and governmental devastation were immeasurable. The war begins in 1914 and lasted four years. Eight million people lost their lives many being civilians in what has been called the Great War.   Europe was left totally destroyed economically and socially. Europe fell due to how much the war cost and increased inflation forcing them to print more money (http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/great_war/effects.htm).  The bleak future caused many to slip into a depressive state because of the ugliness of the war. Europe was forcibly ushered into the industrial age. Those who enjoyed financial comfort before the war were now facing poverty (http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/present.html).             It is hard to imagine then the destructive nature a war could have on the artistic community of that time. Many artist including Braque joined the war leaving behind their talents to pursue battle on the military front. Fighting side by side with their countrymen some lost their lives or sustained major wounds. Other artist witness the effect the Great War had in their home county. However, all were left with a lasting impact that was conveyed through their art work.  Boccioni, Macke, and Marc among others lost their lives fighting or a result of the war. Artists like Picasso and Gris were not asked to enlist to fight because they were in neutral countries. However, many of the artists enlisted because of loyalty to their country or to be part of the drama of the war. Up until this period artists did not have to become part of the war (http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/present.html).            After the war, many artists relived the memories of the war through their sketches and drawings. Others were so depressed by what they saw took their artwork in an opposite direction. Paintings were mainly of city life. There was a hesitation to show the cruelty of the war. Many photographers would only print pictures that show bodies of the enemy, but later photographs of bodies of Germany and French soldiers were shown lying next to each other. (http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/present.html).            The Treaty of Versailles was only a symbolic end to the war. The after effects of the war were still sending shock waves long after the signing of the treaty. Governments became more liberal and Germany angered over the humiliation forcibly lead to the Second World War (http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/great_war/effects.htm).  The war had a tremendous impact on the artistic community during and after. Two notable artists of that time Braque and Picasso each reacted to the war through their artistic en devours. For one their faceted style was maintained after the war while the other was left temporarily unable to paint transcended into more still life and back brilliant colors perhaps to phase out the bleakness of the war. Braque’s and Picasso’s style differed after thee war due to the destruction left by the war, Braque’s injury sustained during the war, and notoriety of Picasso during and after the war.            World War I lasted from August 1914 to November 1919. It involved most of Europe and the United States. It was fought from every conceivable position-air, above ground, underground, on water, and under water. This was the first total war where countries used their total population and resources to fight. France lost a whole generation by taking the lives of millions of Frenchmen (Encarta 2005, World War I). The massive body count could not be conceived until the war had ended. The world had not had a war that impacted the entire world until this one. It was only referred to as World War I when World War II begins until then it was called the Great War. It begins with the assassination of Archduke of Ferdinand in 1914 and ended with the demised of three empires: Germany, Russia, and Austro-Hungary. The war sped up the revolution of Europe ushering the technological and scientific age. The war gave rise to the Soviet Union and the Nazi regime because of the humiliation felt by Germany. The face of central Europe was changed for the next twenty years. Painters of every conceivable kind were on the front lines fighting side by side their comrades. Several died during the war such as Boccioni, Macke, Marc and La Fresnaye. Neutral countries such a Spain the home to Picasso and Gris were not asked to fight. Artist s from every genre was asked to fight. Legar was a stretch-bearer, Kokoschka a cavalryman, and Beckmann a medic. They all wrote and painted about what they saw and did.   These artists left a heart wrenching account of the devastation of the war. Their artwork is a testimony.            Little research has been done or their artwork has been forgotten. This probably due to the painful memories associated with the war. Others who made it through chose not depict the drama of war and their style became totally different than before. (http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva /projects/great_war/effects.htm).            One such artist was George Braque who style after the war was different in color and subject matter. He was one of their own from France who fought in the war. He was born in Argenteuil-sur-Seine which was later the home of the impressionist movement. His father and grandfather were both house painters and young George followed in his father and grandfather footsteps. At age 15 Braque’s family moved to Le Haurve and George started taking courses at a local art school. He started his career as an interior decorator. Braque moved to Paris at age 17 to fully submerse himself in his passion for space and color. He enlisted into the military and in 1902 with the financial backing of his family he attended a private art school the vole des Beaux-Arts. He was inspired by African and Greek sculptures and often the visit the Lourve for ideas (http://www.mes.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Braque.html).            George Braque painting was influence greatly by the Fauves-Matisse and Derain. Their wild eclectic style was called Fauvism. Fauvism emphasized wild vivid colors like that of Van Gogh (Encarta 2005 Fauvism). Like some of the artist of the time Braque wanted to challenge the traditional themes in artwork. He wanted his paintings to evoke an emotion, a discussion, and a mood. He accomplished such a task with works like Antwerp and Landscape at La Ciotat of 1906. These paintings showed the vivid colors of Fauvism, but little line . After a year of Fauvism, Braque became impressed by the styles of Paul Cezanne call the father of â€Å"modern art†(Cezanne, Encarta 2005). Cezanne artwork was the opposite of Fauvism. It restored order to the style of the â€Å"wild beasts†of Matisse and Derain. This when the cubist style was formed. Braque admired the way Cezanne’s â€Å"distorted forms†led Braque to immolate that style (http://www.mes.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Braque.html). Cubism defies convention just like Fauvism, but unlike his early work everything-landscapes, houses, people-are reduced to geometric cubes. The colors were bland and the subjects were unemotional. Such as one of his earlier cubist work Little Harbor in Normandy of 1909.            Cubism can be broken into two genres: Analytical Cubism and Synthetic Cubism. It was then in 1909 when Braque formed a friendship with Pablo Picasso that together they revolutionized the Cubist movement. Analytical cubism lasted for roughly two years. From 1911 on synthetic cubism became known. In both genres geometric shapes were used, but now the subject was less fragmented and more recognizable (http://pablo-picasso.paintings.name/). Cubism originated from a rivalry between Picasso and Matisse. Matisse Blue Painting caused a scandal at the exhibit the Paris art show. This how Matisse and others received the title Les Fauves. At around the same time Picasso produced Desmoiselles and young artists that once followed Matisse now begin emulating the style of Picasso including Braque. This infuriated Matisse and others to the point of rejecting all of Braque’s work. Matisse tried to discredit Braque’s work by showing how it was made out of little cubes and that this artistic style was easy to replicate. The term cubism was born and catapulted Braque and Picasso. It marked the beginning of abstract art, even though the art form should dimensions of the subject being painted. Nonetheless, cubism owes it creation to notable artists (http://pablo-picasso.paintings.name/).            In the beginning Picasso’s and Braque’s work dealt with neutral colors and subdued subjects. Objects were shown from a 3-dimensional perspective (http://painting.about.com/). An early example of his work is the Violin and the Candlestick represented analytical cubism. The subdued colors along with the geometric shapes are seen. However, one can not called this artwork fully abstract as the subjects of the painting are still visible and the three dimensional sides are visible (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http). Braque and Picasso worked so closely together that at times their work was indistinguishable (http://www.safran-arts.com/42day/art/art4aug/art0831.html#cmc).  Both he and Picasso began experimenting with collage and would add bits of objects such as paper to their artwork (http//www.mcs.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Braque.html).            Pablo Ruiz y Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain. He can be called a genius in the art world and undoubtedly a brilliant painter. His father was an art professor so he was destine from birth to become one of the most immovable faces of art (http://www.biography.com/picasso). He moved to Paris where many friendships formed with other artists including George Braque. His work is labeled by different periods. The Blue period showed his use of the color and a representative of the mood of the time. His Rose period featured a more primitive style of art. However, it was the art form of Cubism that made Picasso famous. He shocks his fans and critics with Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907). In this work he used African themes with unemotional subjects painted with varying shades of color (http//www.mcs.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Braque.html).            The bond formed between Braque and Picasso was broken by the First World War. Braque like many artists enlisted into the French Army to show loyalty for his country. Braque served in the Great War for two years: 1914 to 1916. Braque entered the army as a sergeant. He was decorated twice for bravery. During the war he sustained a significant head wound in 1916 which left him temporarily blind. He spent several months recovering in a hospital. After, he was sent to a nursing home where he spent his time expressing quotes about life and art that start long before the war. A friend put together a book with all of Braque’s â€Å"aphorisms†.  Braque did not begin painting again until 1917. He rejoined the Cubist movement after the military which was now in the synthetic phase (http://www.free-termpapers.com/tp/5/ame43.shtml). Perhaps due to the cruelty of the war or the sever head wound he sustained while fighting, his artistic style quickly changed. Braque left the theme of traditional cubism and returned more to his original roots. He started using more â€Å"softer†drawings, brilliant color and more of an personal influence as in his work the 1919 Playing Cards (www.megaessays.com/ viewpaper/21985.html).. His paintings became more textured after moving to the coast of Normandy. He did not reflect the war in his work, perhaps not wanting to relieve the pain of the war. Braque along with painting also became an engraver, lithographer, and a sculptor. He along with Loewenfield turned his paintings into different images such as jewelry and books. Both had a love for precious stones which solidified their friendship. The idea of taking 2-dimensional objects and turning them into 3-dimensional objects allowed them to create over 100 different jewels. The Apollon Gallery featured their work in 1963 later that year Braque passed away at the age of 81 (www.genesisgallery.com/html/bios/373.html).            During the Great War, Picasso went to Rome where he met and married a Russian dancer named Olga Koklova. In Rome he worked with designer Sergey Diaghilev. He made several portraits of their son (Paulo as Harlequin, 1924) and of their friends. His work reflected neoclassical style showing voluptuous women (Women at the Spring, 1921) and mythological beings (The Pipes of the Pan, 1923). Picasso also picture strange creatures and crudely painted women (Sleeping Woman in Armchair, 1927) which may have indicate trouble in his first marriage (http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/picasso_bio.htm). After the war, went further in his exploration of his style. He emphasized color and dream-like images. Although it appears that Picasso’s artwork wasn’t greatly affected by the war like Braque. Picasso being a spanish citizen living in Paris was able to continue his work. However, he wasn’t without grief. The country was feeling the ill effects of the war and Picasso had to deal with the scrutiny of his friends not having to enlist. His paintings reflected the depressive mood of that time. Picasso had to also deal with the passing of his lady friend Eva Gouel (http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/ picasso/ section8.rhtml).            After the war he tried to stay close to cubism, but was also developing a unique style of his own. He returned to more traditional styles maybe in attempt to be recogzed for his own work and not be associated any longer with the cubist movement and his close friend Braque. It is not noted if their friendship continued after the war. Picasso struck up a friendship with a young poet and became involved with the Russian ballet (http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/ picasso/ section8.rhtml).            The War left major devastation in it is path. No one was left unaffected by the fighting especially the artistic community. Braque and Picasso were the 20 century most notable artists. Their style impacted not only the artistic community but all who enjoy art. However, the war seems to have left a permanent impact on George Braque as seen in his latter artwork. His style softened a contrast to the harshness of war. He focused on still life perhaps to view the world as calmer and beautiful. Picasso artwork changed very little. The notoriety he obtained probably shielded him from the devastation of the war. Perhaps, not being on the front lines allowed him to miss out on the cruelty that came from the war. Whatever the reason, both before, during and after the war, became two great artists emerging and remaining among the brilliance of the 20th century.    Bibliography            http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/great_war/effects.htm            http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/present.html.             World War I, 2005 Encarta Encyclopedia.             http://www.mes.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Braque.html            Fauvism, 2005 Encarta Encyclopedia.             http://pablo-picasso.paintings.name             http://painting.about.com/             http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http             http://www.free-termpapers.com/tp/5/ame43.shtml             www.megaessays.com/ viewpaper/21985.html            www.genesisgallery.com/html/bios/373.htm             http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/picasso_bio.htm            Cezanne, 2005 Encarta Encyclopedia            (http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/ picasso/ section8.rhtml).             http://www.biography.com/picasso
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